


However Long

by SolarMorrigan



Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: Depression, Friendship, Gen, i dunno man, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-05 21:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19048963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolarMorrigan/pseuds/SolarMorrigan
Summary: It had to be a new record.Usually Vinnie’s partnerships lasted at least a month before they were requesting a transfer. Cavendish hadn’t even given him two weeks.





	However Long

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this one back in February or March for the prompt "X." A lot of this ended up going into "I Never Minded Being On My Own" but I liked this one too, so I thought I'd post it

It had to be a new record.

Usually Vinnie’s partnerships lasted at least a month before they were requesting a transfer. Cavendish hadn’t even given him two weeks.

Vinnie stared at the sheet, looking over each neatly x-marked box.

X – Request of new partner

X – Immediate transfer

X – First available agent

Reason for request:

The line had been left blank. Vinnie supposed Cavendish hadn’t finished filling out the form yet. He wondered what reason he would write in.

In the beginning, when Vinnie had just returned from medical leave, when they had been trying to replace his first partner (as if there was any way to replace them), the agents they stuck with him were always disappointed. They expected one of the bureau’s rising stars. They expected quick-thinking, inventive Agent Dakota. Not… whatever was left of Vinnie after going back to correct the Mississippi Purchase.

After that, they tried giving Vinnie new recruits, ones who might not be familiar with his legacy as an agent, but even they grew disillusioned with Vinnie’s lack of enthusiasm for the job (or for life in general). They usually gave him a month or two before realizing he wasn’t going to change, to suddenly open up and become the mentor or fount of knowledge or whatever the hell they wanted him to be.

Cavendish, though, he hadn’t even lasted a month.

It didn’t quite sting. Vinnie understood why no one wanted to be saddled with him, he did. There was, if anything, a distant sort of disappointment. Resignation, maybe. But he didn’t blame Cavendish any more than he blamed any of the others.

Carefully, Vinnie tucked the form away where it had been and found the papers he’d run back inside to get. Leaving their shared closet of an office, Vinnie headed back to Cavendish and wondered how long it would be before he had a new partner.

(Or how long it would be before the bureau gave up on finding him a partner at all and put him out to pasture – or, worse, on administrative duty.)

Cavendish was where Vinnie had left him, waiting by the time vehicle (standard-issue, bland; Vinnie could tell Cavendish had been disappointed with it and had found himself assuring that they could work their way up to something better, even though he had no real desire to do so), and handed him the papers.

“There ya go. Now how about lunch? I’m starvin’.”

“I suppose I could eat,” Cavendish admitted. “Is the café open today?”

Vinnie snorted. “Nah, we’re not goin’ to the bureau café. Let’s go somewhere fun.”

“Fun?” Cavendish uttered the word as though it was an unheard-of concept.

“Yeah, fun,” Vinnie replied. “You could stand to have more fun, Cav.”

And he could’ve – maybe Vinnie wouldn’t be Cavendish’s partner for much longer, and maybe he didn’t have much he wanted to teach Cavendish, but if there was one thing he would try to leave the other man with, it was the idea of enjoying things. Their jobs were tough; why shouldn’t they stop and smell the roses a little?

(Their jobs could be deadly – why shouldn’t they enjoy what they could before they bit the big one?)

“I have _fun,”_ Cavendish snapped. “But we have a job–”

“That’ll still be there after lunch. That’s the funny thing about time travel,” Vinnie offered Cavendish a lopsided little smile. “Now are you in, or are you in? I’m not giving you an “out” option because I have the keys.”

At that, Cavendish rolled his eyes. “Then I suppose I’m in.”

“Awesome! C’mon, I know a great little diner in the 1970’s.”

Cavendish, who had been halfway into the car, paused. “The 1970’s? As in – back in time?”

“Yeah… that’s kinda the point of our whole jobs, y’know. Unless I been missin’ something all this time.”

“But– for recreational purposes?” Cavendish spluttered; it was kind of cute really, how scandalized he was.

“Yeah! It’s not big deal, Cav. As long as we don’t affect anything too much, no one cares. Everyone does it. Besides, we’re dressed for it!” Well – one of them was, anyway, but the 1970’s had been a weird time; Cavendish wouldn’t stick out too terribly.

“I… suppose.” Cavendish said at length.

“That’s the spirit! You’re gonna love it,” Vinnie promised, starting the car.

Cavendish didn’t answer, but Vinnie remained confident in his mission. However long or short their remaining time together was, Vinnie decided he would make sure Cavendish enjoyed it.

(Another month, several detours, and a few unplanned forays into history later, Dakota didn’t bother wondering whether Cavendish had never sent the form in or if it had just been denied. He didn’t really care. He’d gotten Cavendish to actually laugh with him, and things were looking… brighter.)

**Author's Note:**

> This was from before I'd seen "First Impressions," so I thought it was kinda neat that Dakota apparently really does (or did) use the time machine to visit his favorite eateries in time and space
> 
> Also posted on [Tumblr](https://solarmorrigan.tumblr.com/post/185287215448/however-long-milo-murphys-law-gen-believe)


End file.
